Pekin comic book trio reunite

Even though Mark Staff Brandl's art career has taken him all over the world, he still paints with brushes used by his father, a commercial sign painter from Pekin.

Leslie Renken

Even though Mark Staff Brandl's art career has taken him all over the world, he still paints with brushes used by his father, a commercial sign painter from Pekin.

It is symbolic of Brandl's style, incorporating so-called low art into the fine art he creates.

One of Brandl's favorite forms of low art is the comic book. Growing up in Pekin, he and his friends Thomas Emil Homerin and Gary Scoles spent every Saturday together creating comic books. Over the years the men have remained fast friends, bound by their mutual interest.

On July 11 the trio will reunite to turn the walls of Gallery 3R at the Contemporary Art Center into a giant comic book.

Although large installations are nothing new for Brandl, he usually does them alone. He's excited about working with his friends.

"It's like going from solo musician to having a band. Exciting!" Brandl said.

Brandl, 56, is associate professor of art history, painting and art theory at the Art Academy of Liechtenstein and the Higher Technical Academy of Fine Art in St. Gallen

Switzerland. His work has been shown in galleries and museums in the U.S, Europe, Egypt and Caribbean and has been acquired by prominent museums throughout Europe and the U.S.

Brandl's work is different from that of pop artists. He does not steal iconic images like Andy Warhol did, nor does he paint superheroes. Instead he utilizes devices commonly used by comic book artists to enliven his work and make it more accessible.

"This is a weak period in fine art," Brandl said. "We need the strength of the populist democratic aspects of comics." Brandl says much of the fine art being produced today is so intentionally outrageous it is not intellectually accessible to most people. As an art historian, Brandl points to Michelangelo's paintings in the Sistine Chapel which told stories everyone could relate to. Comic books also tell stories by combining images in a sequential way, a technique that Brandl finds very exciting and utilizes regularly in his work.

Brandl uses bold colors and sweeping strokes in his large installation pieces, called "panels." The works consist of several large paintings with additional artwork done directly on the wall to create huge walk-in comic pages that can be viewed top to bottom, left to right, just like a comic book page, taking the viewer through a sequence of images and ideas.

His smaller works are called "Covers," and are usually grouped and often displayed in spinner racks like comic books. "Covers" utilize the structure of the comic book cover with titles, bold lettering and even price and date. But since they are not actually comic book covers, they do not promote a story. Instead, "Covers" proclaim celebrations and complaints, desires and critical thoughts.

Since typography is an important part of the comic book art, Brandl was inspired by the work his father created. Earl Brandl, who passed away in 1980, supported his family with a variety of creative jobs, including sign painting, graphic design and as a merchandise display designer for Sears. "I use many of his techniques and value his view of art as a socially progressive, working-class yet intellectual activity," said Brandl.

Another source of inspiration is the pile of 6,000 comic books Brandl collected as a boy. His friends Homerin and Scoles also still have their comic book collections.

The boys met in 1965 when they were fifth-graders at Douglas Primary School in Pekin. When creating comics together, Brandl and Scoles did the drawing while Homerin was responsible for writing the narrative.

Brandl expects the men will have similar roles to those they had as boys, though he is not sure who will be in charge. "It's my show and I'm kind of the dictator," Brandl laughed. Having known each other since they were kids will likely effect the chemistry, Brandl said. "I'm the most famous one, but they won't care," he said.

Brandl and Scoles are bringing drawings, both large and small, that will be hung on the walls of Gallery 3R. They will then create additional drawings as they see fit. "It will be up to Emil to create the story line, to knit it together and make sure Gary and I don't just make chaos," Brandl said.

While Brandl no longer draws superheros, Scoles does, so they may find their way into the finished work at Gallery 3R, Brandl said. Scoles is also bringing drawings of local landmarks at Homerin's suggestion, so Brandl believes the work will likely have an autobiographic quality, perhaps about their shared childhood in Pekin.

The work will begin on July 11 with a shopping trip for art supplies. On Tuesday through Friday the men will be hard at work at Gallery 3R and the public is invited to watch the process and interact with the creators. A reception will be held 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. July 16.

While Brandl is traveling from Switzerland for the event, Homerin is coming from Rochester, N.Y., where he is professor of religion in the department of religion and classics at the University of Rochester. Gary Scoles lives in Peoria. Retired from Caterpillar Inc. he is a published comic artist who has shared his gift with the community by teaching at the Peoria Art Guild and for various park districts.

Though the trio will spend most of their time working at Gallery 3R, they also want to visit with some old friends and do a little sight-seeing, Brandl said. They are planning a trip to Maurie's in Pekin, a newsstand and candy store a few blocks from the Tazewell County Courthouse where the boys rode their bicycles to buy 10-cent comics in the 1960s. "(Maurie's was) the cultural center of my youth," said Brandl.